Walking into Dosa Wala in Radford, the lovely smell of incense immediately hits the nose and takes over one of the senses. The first impression of the Radford Road South Indian restaurant is a good one - it smells amazing, looks brand new and staff service is incredibly friendly.
The latter of these came to light when one of the waitresses comes over to greet and show me to a table. I speak with manager Vel Murugan about how the food hygiene rating improved from 0 to 5 to begin with.
As part of the visit, I asked if I could try out the food, to which he agreed. Following the chat, he asked what I would like to try, and I asked him to make what Dosa Wala considers to be their signatures, to which a feast is prepared.
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While waiting patiently for the food to be prepared, attention turns to the restaurant. For an Indian restaurant on Friday lunchtime, just under half of the tables are full with people tucking in, which is quite impressive.
The booth I am sat at is comfy and big enough for six, with cutlery and napkins already laid out to be used by customers. Others in the restaurant are already munching on massive dosa, which is a South Indian thin crepe made with fermented rice and lentil batter, along with a variety of chutneys.
The first of three dishes to be tried arrives quickly, and this comprised of a bowl of rice flanked by no less than 11 (yes, 11) different pots of various food to try with it, which could be mixed and matched. And it comes with a mini dosa and a poppadum.
There's a lot to get stuck into here, so I try the pot that's at the very top in front of me and work counter-clockwise. The first is a taste of paruppu kerai masiyal, which is spinach cooked with lentils - this is incredibly tasty and has good textures that really please the palate - it's a strong start.
The rice, it must be said, is cooked perfectly, too. Next up comes cabbage and carrot poriyal, which is simple yet tasty and the spices shine through.
Following that is the dhal curry, which I have to say is not quite as tasty as the previous two, but is still good. Sambar, a lentil-based vegetable stew, is something that is served with a number of dosa dishes at the restaurant, and with the rice it was noticeably fiery.
Mor kulambu, a curd or buttermilk-based curry, is next up and although this was served cold, it was incredibly aromatic and, once again, tasty. I've been impressed with what I've tried on the whole so far around the halfway stage. Vatha kulambu, a traditional gravy, has a good kick to it but for me, it's not quite as good as what has come before it.
Rasam, a traditional soup, is up next and although this may come across as a little watery at first for a soup (I tend to associate soups with a bit of thickness), it's still really good, and stands out when combined with the mini dosa. The pickle is incredibly strong and not for the faint of heart - I enjoy that really punchy flavour though and this is no exception, this one was a big hit and incredibly tasty when mixed with other pots.
Yoghurt and salad pots are what you'd expect, and go well when combined with some of the others to create different flavours. Gulab jamun is a sweet dessert, and in terms of texture, I'd describe it in terms of comparison as like a cake - and my word is it delicious; this pot was devoured in no time, and I'd have no hesitation in recommending that to finish off a fine meal.
After each of these have been tried, a plate of two poori, which are deep Indian puff wraps made from wheat and flour, are served with potato masala and coconut chutney (this is the two pieces poori masala dish). I'm a big fan of poori and my eyes light up as this lands on the table.
True to form of the previous dish, I'm not disappointed. The potato chutney is thick and just absolutely delicious - that combination with the poori is just incredible.
The coconut chutney is unmistakable from the moment it reaches your mouth, the coconut flavour really punches through, although for me it is slightly runny. Despite this, this dish for me is a standout and I thoroughly enjoy it - to buy, it costs £7.44, according to the Just Eat website.
The last part of the feast is what you'd expect from a South Indian restaurant called Dosa Wala - a massive dosa. This one in particular is the ghee roast dosa with three chutneys, which in this case are tomato, coconut and coriander, and sambar, which again costs £7.44.
Focusing on the two chutneys not experienced yet, the tomato chutney is a triumph. I'm a massive fan of the tomato flavour, and this shines through when combined with the dosa (which is about the size of a car wheel in circumference, it's massive - you won't be leaving here hungry).
The coriander chutney is good, but I expected a little more punch from it. Nevertheless, it still goes well with the huge dosa.
My final thoughts are that pretty much everything I've tried is tasty, with the exception of the odd case here and there, but it would not put me off going again and trying out more on the menu. I leave completely full and satisfied - and that's what you want after eating out in a restaurant.
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